Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 1392: 1360: Found an Auction House

Chapter 1392: Chapter 1360: Found an Auction House

Jiang Ding walked through the streets of the Mud Swamp Demon City, moving familiarly through various places, not at all like someone visiting for the first time, but more like a native Mud Swamp Person.

Soon, Jiang Ding arrived in front of an auction house of moderate size, named ‘True Scripture Auction House.’

“Greetings, Master!”

An elder with square features and grey-white beard, who immediately appeared as a respectable and righteous man, bowed formally upon seeing Jiang Ding, accompanied by a few attendants.

They seemed very cultivated, formal and almost rigid.

Though they bowed, they exuded no sense of flattery but only respect, a stark contrast to the demonic style of Chunfeng Building that stirred desires with every gesture, resembling more an orthodox sect established by an old scholar, forsaking the characteristic warmth and friendliness of the service industry for it.

Such rigidity is a golden trait in the auction industry.

‘The Playboy Demon, indeed a commercial genius, truly worthy of ascending to the Divinity Transformation through commerce…’

Jiang Ding had a thought.

Yes, this True Scripture Auction House was the inheritance of the Playboy Demon.

This person was originally of the Three Spiritual Roots from the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect, with no aptitude, background, or opportunities, not even much talent in combat. The last time he met Jiang Ding, he had fled before confirming the enemy’s situation, but his ability to ascend to the Late Truth-Transforming Stage at over six thousand years old, being a small genius even in the Divinity Transformation Stage, was all due to his talent in commerce.

Even in minor businesses like Chunfeng Building of the third order, he was conscientious.

During Jiang Ding’s conscious endeavors of chivalry, many cultivators with strongholds in the Mud Swamp Demon City appeared, but only the Playboy Demon was the best among them.

The key was that the Playboy Demon wasn’t using his true appearance to manipulate the place, changing his appearance each time, making it very acceptable.

“Li Wang, you’re doing well.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

The Nascent Soul Peak Cultivator in front was a Righteous Cultivator discovered and nurtured by the Playboy Demon, a true Righteous Cultivator, upright in character, adhering to rules, never overstepping, conducting business with integrity.

Even sometimes when he missed out on purchasing items, he would inform the original owner to retrieve them and get a refund.

As for missing out and incurring losses, he blamed his own poor eyesight.

With such a unique business philosophy in Mud Swamp Demon City, the True Scripture Auction House, despite having limited variety in goods and not the lowest prices, instead being somewhat pricey, and lacking the support of numerous sect forces, still became one of the vibrant mid-sized auction houses in Mud Swamp Demon City, trusted by many Golden Pill, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation cultivators, bringing considerable annual profits to the Playboy Demon.

However, Li Wang was over a thousand years old and still at Nascent Soul Peak, with no way forward due to injuries suffered in his early years.

This was naturally part of the Playboy Demon’s plan.

He has already prepared a second auction house manager, also a loyal and upright person, not needing another Divine Transformation cultivator to divide his power.

A few people walked slowly into the True Scripture Auction House.

This was a massive bowl-shaped building, still hosting an auction, with tens of thousands of cultivators fervently shouting bids for an item called ‘Fire Spirit Treasure Pearl,’ a mid-grade Nascent Treasure.

Numerous Nascent Soul cultivators were competing, both Righteous and Demonic cultivators, all with swords drawn.

Jiang Ding paused slightly, and Li Wang and the others quickly stopped.

“Fellow Daoists,”

The auctioneer wasn’t the usual beautiful woman but a somewhat ugly old man lacking much charm, painstakingly advised, “Four hundred seventy-five thousand top-grade spirit stones, this price is more than three times the market value, you must not bid more, it’s too unprofitable…”

“If Fellow Daoists need bead-type fire-attribute Nascent Treasures, our house will keep an eye out for you, and within fifty years, we’ll surely find another one, there’s no need to hurt the harmony…”

He didn’t fuel the increasingly heated atmosphere but was earnestly trying to dissuade these patrons from continuing to raise their bids.

Many cultivators visiting for the first time were instantly dumbfounded.

If this were elsewhere, an auctioneer pushing spirit stones away like this would’ve already been thrown into the river by the Master, with soul extraction and refinement as mere trifles.

However, most of the auction patrons were not surprised.

“Haha!”

“Elder Yao, the Zhang Clan of Qingmao Mountain and Jade Bone True Monarch are rivals; this is not uncommon, why bother? They have plenty of spirit stones!”

Someone laughed, revealing the reason.

“No, the enmity between these two families is over hundreds of years, they wouldn’t just throw spirit stones into the water, are they acting for us?”

“Is there something fishy about the Fire Spirit Pearl?”

Someone guessed suspiciously.

This made more people uncertain.

“Everyone,”

“The Fire Spirit Pearl was appraised by a Fifth-rank Appraiser, it should have no secrets.”

Elder Yao smiled bitterly, “Everyone should be cautious, although we’re Nascent Soul cultivators, spirit stones are hard to come by, please think twice.”

His words dissuaded some from gambling.

Eventually, the Fire Spirit Pearl didn’t see excessive price hikes and settled at over five million mid-grade spirit stones.

“Good.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly and left.

The material of that Fire Spirit Pearl indeed held no secrets, but its refinement structure had some ‘key’-like function, possibly a crucial element of unlocking some formation.

This should be the reason for the two families’ contention, indeed making the True Scripture Auction House’s transaction a loss.

However, in essence, it’s just a matter of lesser profit.

This is its hallmark, bringing more profits elsewhere.

For instance, the typical auction fee in Swamp Demon City is five percent, while True Scripture Auction House charges seven percent, yet more cultivators come to auction goods there because it sells faster, with guaranteed integrity, providing more peace of mind.

Buyers are naturally the same, especially for entrance-level elixirs, if prices aren’t vastly different, they often choose True Scripture Auction House.

Arriving at the core of True Scripture Auction House, the manager Li Wang, and others reported.

“…Master, last year’s auction house earnings were eighty-seven million top-grade spirit stones, one Fifth-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure, and three Divinity Transformation scriptures, plus Fifth-grade Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure…”

Numerous managers quickly brought out piles of accounts.

Every thirty years, the Master would send someone to audit the accounts, and any errors carried consequences that no single person could bear.

Jiang Ding checked them one by one, rewarding or punishing various managers, instructing them to continue working diligently, everything remaining the same.

Afterward, everyone withdrew one by one, leaving the place quiet again.

“The formations here…”

Jiang Ding’s Divine Sense flowed into the core of the True Scripture Auction House, instantly refining the formations here.

Very easily, merely a matter of Fifth-grade Superior formations, it was just a matter of thought, but this didn’t mean that a Peak of Hua Shen cultivator could act recklessly within the auction house.

This Fifth-grade formation, the Sky Clearing Demon Clearing Array, was connected to the Refining Void Great Formation of Mud Swamp Immortal City, providing the protection brought by the fifty percent heavy tax True Scripture Auction House paid annually; any attempt by a Peak Divine Transformation cultivator to forcefully seize auction items was provoking Mud Swamp Demon City.

Even Jiang Ding dared only to refine the formation of True Scripture Auction House now, not daring to touch the Refining Void Great Formation.

“How much of the materials for ‘Great Sun Sacrificial Sword Technique’ will be here?”

Jiang Ding pondered.

He used his Divine Sense to open the treasury of the True Scripture Auction House, inspecting various materials, searching for what he needed.

The auction house operated with various items for the cultivate Qi, Foundation Establishment, Golden Pill, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation stages, holding numerous goods and rich channels, which was precisely why he chose this place.